


Bloodletter

by littleblackcat



Category: Free!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Vampire, Alternate Universe - Werewolf, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-11-23
Updated: 2014-11-30
Packaged: 2018-02-26 17:29:08
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,468
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2660414
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/littleblackcat/pseuds/littleblackcat
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nitori Aiichirou is by far the most awkward little vampire Rin has ever met. </p><p>It's a shame he has to kill him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Nitori Aiichirou is by far the most awkward little vampire Rin has ever met.

It all starts when he's assigned a younger target, a fresh turn. It's a shame, really, he thinks. The younger ones are always the most reckless, more likely to get caught as they fumble over and abuse their new found power. This one's trickier than most are, however. He attends school, of all things, as though nothing at all has changed. At first Rin feels pity, but then he realizes how dangerous and opportunistic a location like that is. A vampire that's young enough could easily pass off as a high school student, but at a school with a dormitory that becomes so much more sinister. Being one of the youngest hunters in his group, he's sent without question.

After pulling a few strings, the target is penned in as his roommate and Rin can't help but feel like gloating. _'The tables have turned.'_ He muses. _'You thought you would live with an easy victim, but you were wrong.'_

And then they're introduced.

Expecting some kind of malevolent, corrupted youth, Rin's surprised when instead he's met with an awe-struck sixteen-year-old that gushes over him as though he's the most incredible thing the vampire has ever seen. Of course, the target has no idea that he knows he's a vampire, but there are two little fangs in this Aiichirou's mouth, longer than they should be and telltale, and Rin has no question that he's exactly the one he came to find.

It seems the boy joins the swim club and he wonders vaguely if it's cheating for someone who doesn't need to breath to compete.

Rin joins, too, after a time, if only to keep an eye on him. It's really only too easy to corner someone in a locker room or a shower, so he has to be vigilant. He assumes it'll be something of a task to tail Nitori, but he's once again surprised--the vampire takes to following after _him_. He's like a duckling, Rin is startled to realize, and it throws him off for a day or two.

And then he realizes that the target must _know_   why he's there. He's being counter-watched.

Of course he initially tries to dismiss this idea--it's fairly absurd--but soon enough he comes to find that it makes some sense. The vampire's looking for a weakness, so Rin won't give him one. The cute, doe-eyed admiration is met with reprimands and silence. The more he doesn't engage, the more the vampire tries, and Rin's pleased to have seen through his little plan.

After a few weeks he feels confident enough. The target hasn't attacked anyone yet, surprisingly, but it's too much of a risk to just leave him alone. Normally he tries to catch a vampire in the act, tailing them if need be, but this one doesn't seem all that inclined to seek out a fresh meal. In fact, Rin tracks down his supplier and finds he's a so-called vegetarian--animal blood, not human. It's cute, he supposes, but it's only a matter of time until something snaps. A vampire absorbs nutrients from blood and a human's is ideal, like a snack designed to perfectly soothe a sudden craving.

So Rin takes vitamins and eats healthy, avoiding any junk in order to tempt the vampire. And it almost works, too, when they hover in the locker room one evening. Nitori looks at him and there's a strange sharpness to his eyes, nearly feral, but as soon as he sees it it's gone.

Rin knows what he needs to do.

Even if the target isn't engaging, he's a liability, and Rin stays up one night with his earbuds in, listening to the silence of the room, waiting. He regrets long ago taking the bottom bunk, as cornering Nitori on the top bunk will prove difficult, but he's made his bed and now he's quite literally lying in it. He sits. And he waits.

Eventually Nitori finishes up with whatever homework he's been working on, exhausted from staying up all day, weary. He tosses Rin a smile. "Will you be sleeping soon, senpai?" He asks. Rin pretends he can't hear him, concentrating on the bars holding up the mattress above.

Nitori lingers for a moment there, almost hopeful, expectant, before sagging slightly with that quiet little smile of his.

"I hope you won't push yourself too hard. You need your rest too." Nitori tells him before busying himself with getting ready for bed. The vampire doesn't even shut off the lights, leaving them on for him as he clambers onto the top bunk. After twenty minutes he's asleep, Rin is sure of it.

He almost feels a pang of regret as he moves over to the closet and unlocks a black box, pulling out a simple stake. It's all he feels he'll need for this one. Nitori isn't aggressive or malicious--he won't see it coming. It'll all be over before he knows it and then his soul can rest peacefully, no long forced to sustain on the livelihood of others like some kind of sun phobic parasite.

It'll be messy, he thinks as he numbly climbs up the ladder and carefully maneuvers himself onto the top bunk. It won't be pretty. It'll hurt him and he will die.

Rin has to remind himself that he's done this countless times, suddenly perturbed at the nature of his own thoughts.

But then he just sits there, frozen, staring at the little bundle of blankets, and he can't help but feel like Nitori is the exact kind of person to be a horrible blanket hog. He's snuggled up, still breathing as though he has to, the little white peak of his fangs just barely visible from his parted lips.

 _'Is it necessary?'_   Rin wonders. _'He hasn't done anything wrong...'_

And that's true--he hasn't.

Nitori has friends, he swims, he works hard, he runs out in the sun with the others despite the irritated red it speckles over his skin, and he's always there, cheering Rin on, telling him he's a natural at swimming and helping him improve his time.

You'd barely think he was a vampire, looking at him.

Rin idles there for nearly an hour before he comes to terms with the fact that he can't do it. He climbs down, puts his weapon away and goes to bed. He normally sleeps lightly, but tonight he dozes, reluctant to realize that this means he doesn't consider Nitori a threat anymore.

And, as he watches him for another month, he can't help but feel that maybe he's not.

The Force is upset with Rin. His assignment was to kill a vampire and he's been given plenty of time to carry out his task. They send him coded text messages, threatening to reassign him if he doesn't perform soon. They're aggressive and stern because they care--they don't want to lose him to hesitation and sentiment.

Rin knows what they'll do.

Soon enough they'll send someone else who will do the job that Rin can't. They'll send someone who won't hesitate. Nitori will be dead and Rin will be reassigned and watched like a hawk for any further transgression. One more infraction and he, himself, will feel their wrath. Maybe he'll merely be discharged but he knows too many secrets.

He realizes all too late his position in this game--kill or be killed. He'd just always assumed prior that the killer was vampire in nature.

Rin enters the room one night to find Nitori sitting at his desk, humming as he goes over his homework. He looks up at him and smiles. "Good evening, senpai. Did you enjoy your run?" He asks, trying not to look disappointed at the fact that Rin had told him to stay behind this time.

He looks at him, stern. "Nitori." He says. No fuss, no muss, no honorifics. Just his name.

The vampire looks at him, surprised, and sits up a little straighter. "Yes, Matsuoka-senpai?"

"I know what you are." He says simply.

Nitori goes very, very still at that moment, practiced, certain that Rin means something else. It's almost endearing. "What's that, senpai?"

"You're a vampire." Rin says, just looking at him, noting the widening of his eyes and the sudden, horrified flush of his face.

"I- I don't know what you're--,"

Rin stalks forward and grabs his chin, lifting it up as he presses his fingers into his cheeks, forcing his mouth open for observation. The little fangs gleam at him, tidy and white. "I've always known." He says as he releases him.

Aiichirou looks as though he's panicking now, frantic, and Rin marvels suddenly because maybe he really _didn't_ know that Rin knew... but then why--?

"T- these are just-- genetic! Yeah!" Nitori says, smiling, plastic, before he very clearly deflates. "I--... I can't..." He says, looking away. "I can't lie to you. I'm sorry. They're not genetic."

Rin's not sure what he's apologizing for. All in all, he was the one who called Nitori out. He should be the one apologizing. But instead he awkwardly runs a hand through his hair. "It's fine. I'm familiar with vampires."

Nitori looks surprised at this. "You are?"

"I hunt them." Rin explains, no nonsense.

Once again Nitori looks shocked but then it calms into something subdued and resigned and Rin wonders how on earth he can look like that when he has so many aspirations. "You're here to kill me." He says, lips quirking weakly. It's not a question.

"Yes, I am." Rin tells him, because it's true. Or, rather, it was once. But before he can say anything Nitori continues.

"I... was told that someone might come for me." The other boy admits, and there's a slight, wet sheen to his eyes, but he's not crying--not yet. "I was told that I... was making myself a target. I knew something like this might happen..."

Rin frowns. "Then why would you--?"

Nitori smiles at him. "I didn't want to give up on everything. I've already died... technically. But I wanted to keep going anyway. I wanted to graduate and..." He looks more teary now, but he determinedly holds it back. "It was only two years ago..."

So he'd be eighteen now if not for the attack, at least in physical appearance.

Somehow speechless, Rin is silent, a lump in his throat that feels tight and unbearable.

The vampire looks up at him and smiles. "I was ready to give up... before you came. I didn't have as many friends. It was difficult to fit in. These last few months have been some of the best of my life. So... if you kill me, it's okay. As long as it's you, Matsuoka-senpai, I don't mind."

Rin feels a jolt in his body that forces him to move forward and he grabs the other boy's wrist and hauls him to his feet, a yelp on Nitori's lips from the sudden manhandling. He looks frightened but he doesn't shy away, standing where Rin leaves him as the hunter goes and digs through the closet.

He returns and throws a duffel bag at his chest, which Nitori belatedly catches.

"Pack your things. We're leaving." Rin tells him.

Nitori's surprised. "Where are we--?"

"I'm not about to kill someone like you, but if _I_   don't then they'll just send another hunter. So pack your things."

For a moment Nitori hesitates, uncertain, staring at him with large, confused eyes.

Rin sighs and looks at him. "Ai." He says, and that gains the boy's full attention. "You don't deserve to die over something you had no control over. Now pack your mess or so help me..."

Nitori smiles then, warm and bright and awkward. His cheeks start to wet with tears of some sort but Rin lets him have his emotions without prodding at them. They don't really have the time to sit around and talk about their feelings but the air is substantially lighter now, even if there's some kind of vague, ominous threat looming over the two of them.

He uses his personal phone to text Gou and lets her know that he'll be arriving at Iwatobi station soon.


	2. Chapter 2

"Before," Rin begins, reclined back against the train seat, their bags on the floor, "in the room. You gave up too easily. Why?"

Nitori looks at him, blinking. "What do you mean?"

"You said it was alright if you died as long as I was the one that killed you." Rin says, knowing that his tone is more tight and tense now. Something about the idea rubs him the wrong way, like a prickling along the back of his neck. He hates it.

The vampire squirms slightly, seemingly embarrassed. "I knew it would have to happen eventually..." He admitted. "I know that I'm... a monster. I just wanted a little more time first."

Rin doesn't know what to say to that, mainly because he's right--he _is_ a monster. And his job is to kill monsters. Yet here he is, on a train, a vending machine can in hand as he sits next to a vampire. It's not a position he would have been able to imagine himself being in a short time ago.

The sound in the train car is a dull, sometimes clacking hum as they travel, alone, the lateness of their trip leaving them the room to speak freely.

"Are you eager to die?" Rin says, looking down now at the floor. It's matted and muddied from a long day of carrying passengers.

"N- no!" Nitori says quickly, hands up. His face sets suddenly, determined. "I don't want to die! I just..." He trails off again, picking his words carefully Rin assumes. His position now is a fragile one, being with a hunter like this. "I guess I just... thought that if you believed I was better off dead, then I..."

They lapse into an uncomfortable silence.

"Why does my opinion matter so much?" Rin says, not angry but lost. His opinion has never mattered this much or, at least, not in a long, long time. How could it mean the difference between life and death for someone? How was that right?

Nitori doesn't say anything, he just stares off at the train window and the stars outside. Maybe he doesn't have to say anything. Normally he'd be babbling on about whatever right now, always eager to answer questions or carry on a conversation. But now he's quiet.

"Whatever." Rin adds with a sigh. "It's fine. Just stop thinking things like that."

The vampire looks at him but his eyes are hard to read which is fairly strange, Rin thinks, as Nitori has always been a relatively open book in the past.

He decides not to dwell on it too much.

They arrive at Iwatobi station and Gou is there, looking overly emotional and somewhat concerned as he exits the train with Nitori in tow. She doesn't even see his so-called shadow as she gives him an enthusiastic 'big brother!', followed by a hug, and then a proper tongue-lashing for never coming to visit.

She belatedly notices Nitori and her eyes widen. "You brought a friend?"

"... Yeah." Rin says. He's not sure if that's a lie or not because in quite a few ways Nitori is sort of his friend although he's not sure how to parse that for himself. Vampires don't tend to become friends of his, in his business. "I'm going to visit Haru." He tells her.

At first she looks indignant but then it changes to surprise. "Haru--? Haruka? That Haru?"

Rin eyes her. "Yeah."

"Why?"

"I want to talk to him." Rin tells her, suspicious now.

"Oh." Gou purses her lips a moment, thoughtful. "You know, I'm friends with him now-- and the others."

Rin frowns, uncomfortable. "I know." He used to not approve, but it's hard to prevent his sister from doing whatever she pleases in his absence. He can't run around and protect her, although he has issued a threat or two towards Haru in the past to keep his dog on a leash or there would be hell to pay.

Gou can sense that something's changed because he isn't yelling at her and her eyes flicker back to Nitori, as though he might be the answer she's looking for.

Awkward and third wheel to this little family reunion, Nitori gives her a smile. "Hello."

Her eyes widen at the sight of his teeth. "You're a--,"

" _Yes_." Rin says, stern, glancing around to make sure no one's paying them any mind.

"You had a change of heart?"

"Hardly." He scoffs. Monsters are still monsters, Nitori just doesn't happen to be one of them. The well-behaved ones are few and far between. They're exceptions, he reasons...

Mostly because he wants to keep sleeping at night, if he can help it. He's blood-stained--some people can spot it from a mile away.

Nitori doesn't seem to mind however, despite the news. He looks at Gou, eyes bright. "You know about--?"

Her attention turns back to him and suddenly she's giddy to have a warmer conversation partner. "Oh yes! I know about... that." She says. "One of his old friends is, um..." She leans in, whispering, "a wolf."

Rin rolls his eyes. "That was after I left." He says.

"They miss you." Gou tells him, frowning now. "They talk about you a lot. They still want to be your friend, even now."

"I'm sure." Rin sighs. "Anyway, this visit's more about business than pleasure. This guy," he jabs a thumb in Nitori's direction, "will stay overnight at home with us. In the morning we'll go over to Haru's."

"Does he know you're coming?" She asks him, lips down-turned again.

"He will soon enough." Rin tells her.

They walk home, mainly because it's late and the bus that brought Gou to the station has already stopped running for the night. Nitori and his sister talk for a while and he half-listens just enough to know that she's not telling any embarrassing stories about him. When they arrive home his mother welcomes him, they eat a late dinner save for Nitori who pleasantly joins them despite not having a plate, and then they get ready for bed.

Gou catches him in the hallway. "Where will he be sleeping?"

Rin thinks the question is silly because they don't currently have a guest room prepared. "He can take my bed. I'll sleep wherever."

For a moment Gou just stares at him, stunned into some kind of silence, so he walks away. He needs to brush his teeth.

Nitori, to his annoyance, protests the decision once he reveals it to him.

"I can't take your bed!" He insists. "It wouldn't be right!"

Rin rubs his temple, exasperated. "Why does it matter if it's right? I decided it. Just do it."

Nitori shakes his head. "It's your bed, senpai. You should sleep in it!"

"You're a guest." Rin tells him, leveling him with a look.

"Then where will you sleep?" Nitori asks, visibly upset.

"The couch?"

"That's not right. You should sleep in your own bed!"

Rin looks at him and then looks at the bed, half-exhausted from a day of preparing to betray his own organization. "So then we'll both sleep in the bed. How about that?"

Nitori opens his mouth, flounders, and then nothing comes out save for a strange squeak. Then he finally finds words. "What if I bite you?"

"Will you?" Rin asks, raising a pointed brow.

Again the vampire gapes before inhaling a steadying breath and shaking his head. "I wouldn't-- Not on purpose, I mean. I don't know about in my sleep or--,"

"It should be fine. We've been sleeping together in the same room for months."

Nitori looks at him again, opens his mouth to protest, and then just succumbs, pouting. "I guess..."

He's fairly stubborn for someone who's so ready to listen to whatever Rin has to say.

It's not the biggest bed in existence but there's more than enough room for the both of them. Rin isn't sure why he insisted upon this but he eventually figures it's to prove something to himself. It's a huge gamble, to be vulnerable like this next to the exact kind of thing he used to find so heinous that it should be put to death...

Nitori falls asleep quickly, breathes softly, and steals most of the blankets. By morning Rin finds him curled up around him, leeching heat, a cold nose pressed into his neck.

His skin's intact, not a single bite mark to be seen.

That seals it for him.

Rin feels relieved, but he also feels slightly nauseated.

Why couldn't he have figured this out sooner?


	3. Chapter 3

Haru looks shocked to see him, but Rin expected that.

Warning him of his arrival would have only caused unnecessary tension and possibly being barred from visiting, but the way the other boy shifts, body stiff and eyes stubbornly narrowed, he wonders distantly if maybe he should have given him _some_ notice. As it is, he probably assumes he's there for Makoto, even if arriving on a doorstep at just past noon would defeat the purpose of a surprise attack. Yet why else would he return? Either way, Haru stands there, wordless, not even extending him a greeting.

"I'm not on duty." Rin says, exasperated, and Haru relaxes only marginally, still alert and wary. He flashes the blue-eyed boy a grin. "I quit my job."

"What?" Haru breathes, brow furrowing, the words finally eliciting a response.

It's awkward for a beat, standing there, Nitori to one side behind him and Haru in front of him. It's a gathering he never would have considered possible before.

"Can I come inside?" Rin asks, serious now.

Haru hesitates, studying him before his gaze slides over to Nitori. Rin can feel the vampire tense slightly, uncertain as to who this is or why they're there. Dully birds twitter in the background, oblivious, singing their songs of late spring. "Okay."

He lets them in.

Rin's not surprised to find Makoto's already there, having arrived that morning for whatever reason, he assumes, or maybe they're simply living together now. Whatever the case, it's none of his business.

They sit on the floor around a square table and Makoto awkwardly fetches them drinks. Nitori looks sheepishly at the tea set out for him and Rin takes his cup.

"He can't have this stuff." He tells them, drinking it himself and ignoring the one that had been prepared for him. "He's a vampire."

"A vamp--," Makoto says, startled slightly. He nearly drops the tray of snacks he was walking in with.

Haru's gaze seems to weigh ten tons as he stares at him. "Why?"

"He was turned by one?" Rin tells him, grinning, cocky. It's a joke because that's not what Haru's asking him. Maybe he's trying to rile him up and maybe it works a little bit, but he sobers quickly. "I couldn't kill him." He admits, looking off at the floor and away from burning blues.

Nitori, who's been largely silent up until this point, stares down at the table in front of him, self-conscious and out of place. "It was very kind of Matsuoka-senpai to spare me." He says, earnest.

"His name is Nitori Aiichirou." Rin introduces him.

Makoto looks somewhat perplexed as he slowly sits down, glancing between Rin and Nitori. Haru just seems irritated somehow, not unlike a ruffled cat.

"You don't deserve to die just because you're a vampire." Makoto says softly, fully aware that Rin's right there and might boldly disagree. "You're not hurting anyone just by being alive." His voice is gentle and careful and it suits him, Rin thinks, this person that he's become--this person that he really doesn't know very well after all these years.

Haru's staring at him and Rin knows that this is more of a message for him than it is for Nitori. He exhales a breath and rolls his eyes, because he's _already_ coming around on the issue and he doesn't really want to discuss it.

Nitori shakes his head. "Some vampires do hurt people!" He insists. "And Matsuoka-senpai hunts them down. He's a hero! And I might do something bad someday... but maybe not if I'm with him! He can stop me!"

Now everyone's staring at Nitori and the boy flusters and flushes as red as one can without proper blood flow.

Rin's not sure how to feel about that--the fact that Nitori looks at him that way even now. He pushes it aside for the moment, but the warmth lingers in his chest like a burning ache. "Anyway... none of that matters. I quit my job. I won't be hunting anymore."

Makoto looks openly surprised if not a little pleased by that, but Rin cuts him off as he looks at Nitori:

"This is Nanase Haruka." He says, nodding towards the boy in question. "And Tachibana Makoto. He's a werewolf. They're old friends of mine."

Nitori blinks at this, looking at the two others with wide eyes although his gaze lingers on Makoto a little long. "You're a... werewolf?" He asks, shy.

Makoto smiles at this and nods. "Mm. I turn into a wolf on the full moon and everything." He says, a little fond. "Everyone in my family does."

His charge brightens at that, marveling in his own little way, and Rin can't help but feel satisfied with this arrangement.

"I'm a turned vampire, but I only drink blood from cows and deer! And they aren't killed for it either!" Nitori says proudly. Makoto ruffles his hair affectionately, immediately making him shift back as he tries to fix the damage. Rin watches them, glad. It's hard not to like someone like Nitori.

"Hey..." Haru says, looking at him now. "We should talk."

Rin's not surprised in the slightest and rises to follow him when he stands, leaving Makoto and Nitori alone. It's good, though. They should probably have some time to discuss things without him around. Even if he's given up his job, that doesn't ease the mistrust Makoto has for him in the slightest.

They walk into another room and Haru doesn't even bother with the lights. He just stands there in the semi-darkness, facing away from him, stiff.

"Why did you come back?"

"What?" Rin asks, giving a short laugh. "I thought you missed me."

Haru looks at him and it's cold. Rin frowns.

After a moment he looks off at a wall, feeling cornered. "I didn't know where else to go." He admits.

"So you came here?" Haru says, turning to face him full on now. "You led them right to us."

Rin looks at him, opens his mouth to say something, but then thinks better of it. "I'm just visiting you. I already cleared you and Makoto in the system. No records, no lead. They have no idea that he's a wolf. I did that ages ago."

Haru's staring at him now, but Rin can't read his expression.

"Look... I'm not asking you for help." He continues. And then, "I know of another AWOL contact in Australia. I might take Nitori there. The Force doesn't extend that far."

Silence.

Rin looks up at him and then away, but he immediately kicks himself mentally for being so weak-willed and forces his eyes back to those placid blues. "Look. I'm sorry." He says. A beat. "I just thought maybe... it's stupid." He rakes a hand through his hair and turns, his movements jerky. "I just figured it'd be a good idea to see you guys one more time before I go."

A flash of white as Haru's eyes widen but he doesn't look at him long enough to see anything else. This is hard enough as it is.

"And... I'm sorry," he adds, "for everything else too."

Rin doesn't say any more. He doesn't need to say any more. Haru knows exactly what he's apologizing for and then they're quiet, the two just standing there for a full minute before the other boy shifts slightly.

"There's something I need to tell you." Haru says, looking at him. He looks guilty and Rin's immediately suspicious. "Nagisa..."

Rin's eyes narrow.

Haru glances at him and then away. "There was an accident. He's..."

Rin feels his jaw clench, tight and painful, but then he relaxes it, bitter. "I told you to keep Makoto on a leash." He mutters, almost bitter, but then he sighs because he really doesn't feel the malice that he thinks he should. "When?"

"A year after you left."

"How did he handle the change?"

"Makoto helped him."

He huffs at that and rakes a hand through his hair, feeling the cool soft strands slip through his fingers.

Two wolves then? What a pain.

"He's... happy." Haru adds suddenly. "He found another wolf to be with--someone his age. They're close."

Suddenly the resentment seeps out of him as though a hole's been punctured and he's quiet for a long moment before, "Is that so?"

Haru's silence is a yes.

They return to the other room after some time to find Makoto and Nitori animatedly talking about something or other only to shush suddenly at the sight of them. His charge is still giggling though, looking giddy, although the tenseness to Makoto's frame gives away that he's not fully comfortable in Rin's presence just yet. Maybe he never will be.

It's annoying but he figures he can't blame him. It's hard not to be wary around someone who threatened to kill you once.

A pang. He regrets that now. He regretted that before, too, but it feels so much stronger with Nitori near, a constant reminder of how wrong he's probably been.

The past doesn't matter, but it does. It really does.

Rin shuffles, standing, awkward.

After a pause Nitori speaks. "Senpai." He begins, nervous. "I was thinking... I should probably eat soon." He looks as though he's waiting for Rin to scold him, already ashamed of his nature, but Makoto's presence bolsters him to bring it up anyway.

"Yeah." Rin agrees, aware of how those sea-colored eyes watch him. Sometimes he gets the feeling that his words can make or break the boy and it puts him on edge. "You guys know where we can find a supplier?" He asks, looking at Haru.

He and Makoto both glance away, visibly uncomfortable.

"Tch. Whatever." Rin mutters. He doesn't want to be angry but he is. Of course they don't trust him enough to tell him something like that. A blood supplier? Probably a vampire. Hunting those was his specialty so just telling him where one is could get someone killed. Mostly he's upset because it feels like they think he's lying, but he can't bring himself to actually blame them for that feeling. They're right--people don't just change that easily. "C'mon Nitori. We're going." He says, frustrated. He's not about to let the boy starve.

"Oh! Yes!" And without question he's standing, following him out to the front door where they tug on their shoes.

"Wait! Rin--," Makoto calls after, rounding the corner. He still looks uneasy, but now there's something akin to determination about him. "You'll... visit again? Won't you?"

Rin's actually startled but he quickly buries it, not ready to reach out and grab at a feeling like that. Friends once, sure, but were they that now? No. Not yet, anyway. Maybe never again, despite what he'd called them earlier.

He turns towards the door. "I gave Haru my number." He says.

And then they leave.

Nitori pads after him on eager feet, not even complaining about the heat or the sun or their hasty exit. He doesn't look upset necessarily, but he's subdued in a way.

"Hey." Rin says, and Nitori's head jerks up, eyes on him. He realizes, belatedly, that he doesn't know what to say. His gaze turns to the road ahead. "... So, cows, huh?"

"Oh, yes!" Nitori confirms. "I was told before... that's more acceptable, isn't it? And it's not that bad! Well, it's not _great_ , but I've had worse."

Rin can't help but smile at that, brows quirking up. "Worse than that, huh?" He says, discrete. They're heading towards the shops and he doesn't want anyone to overhear anything that can be used against them. He doesn't know who's listening.

Nitori nods, sincere. He smiles at Rin. "It's really not that bad. Maybe a little bland..." He frowns lightly before perking up, "But! They say you should eat to live, not live to eat, right?"

"I guess so." Rin relents, somewhat aware of the saying. In Nitori's case, he can't actually eat anything else so it's not really the same. "You've... never tried a human's--?"

"No! No, of course not!" Nitori says emphatically. Rin wonder's if he realizes that it's possible to have human blood without gathering it yourself, although as far as he knows donation packets aren't cheap. Why would they be?

Rin leans over and ruffles his hair, feeling a little more at ease now that he's done it, as though it undoes Makoto having done it.

He immediately realizes how stupid that is as soon as he thinks it, like Nitori's some kind of possession of his.

"Let's go get you some lunch..." He sighs, resigned.

"Where are we going?" Nitori asks him, distractedly fixing his hair.

"The hospital." Rin says simply.

Where there's a hospital, there's blood. And where there's blood, there're vampires.

Failing that, this wouldn't be the first time he's had to bribe someone, although usually it's not on his own dime.

Nitori follows him, humming, looking around, bright-eyed and bushy tailed despite the fact that his life has changed so very drastically in the span of less than twenty-four hours.

Rin doesn't understand why he seems so at peace with everything.

Wasn't his dream to finish high school?

What changed?


	4. Chapter 4

The road that leads to the hospital is a familiar one that doesn't wind so much as it strays with little, forked branches and turn offs made only for the occasional compact car. Rin walks up the hill without saying much, simply focused on his own thoughts as Nitori trails behind, uncharacteristically quiet again. He's been doing that a lot lately, lapsing into his own silences, and Rin finds it slightly disconcerting but he brushes it off easily enough. Nitori's facing down a lot of big life changes and he can't blame him if he needs time to think about things.

They drift in the general direction of the large medical facility like leaves being swept up in the wind, spring's heat just barely creeping into the usual humid summer. Rin glances back to find Nitori several feet behind. He stops, but the vampire doesn't see him and walks right into his side.

"O- oh! Sorry!" Nitori's quick to apologize and Rin notes the unusual shade of his face, a rash of red on his features. Coupled with his pale skin, it almost looks as though he's sick. "I didn't realize you'd stopped!"

But... he's just as energetic as always so he's probably fine, Rin reasons. "When we get to the hospital you'll probably need to keep your mouth shut in case there are any agents there." Not that it'll help, what with the faint, barely discernible slit nature of his pupils, the pallor of his skin, and the obvious weakness to heat. Rin could have easily picked him out of a crowd.

"I'll do my best!" Nitori assures him.

And then they're walking again, although this time the vampire's keeping pace at his side.

Before too long they reach the Iwatobi Hospital and Rin wanders up the steps to the courtyard out front two at a time, Nitori stumbling after, but before he can get much further a figure reclined on a bench catches his eyes.

It's someone around his age, physically at least, and they're engrossed in their phone, but the bracelet around his wrist and the elegant narrow of his eyes gives him away.

It's a fox.

"Hey." Rin says, stepping up to the demon. He can practically feel the curiosity radiating off of the vampire behind him but he ignores it, focused.

The man looks up, swaths of cherry blossom colored hair curling around his face and down his neck. He's fairly pretty for a guy, but, then again, they usually are. The fox smiles. "Something I can help you with?"

"I'm looking for the supplier." Rin says, no nonsense.

The fox's brow quirks, amused, and he cocks his head before rising up on lanky limbs and getting a little too close to Rin for his own comfort. An arm is slung over his shoulder, as though they're old friends. "Why would you need one of the those?" He asks, his tone friendly and open but a very real threat lurking underneath.

Rin can't stand fox demons, if only because by their very nature they're completely obnoxious. "Someone needs to eat." He says, discretely glancing at Nitori.

The fox's eyes glimmer as they turn to the vampire. "Oh." His expression mellows out a little, suddenly taking Rin a bit more seriously, and he lets him go as his attention shifts to Nitori. "Hey little guy!" He greets.

Nitori's brow furrows. "I'm not a child." He tells him.

"Oh?" The fox coos. "How old are you?"

"Eighteen." Nitori answers.

The fox grins and Rin doesn't have the heart to tell him that the demon's probably several times that age, if not more. You can never really tell when they're in human form. "I see! I see! You're a _young adult_   then, right?"

Nitori's expression reads that he knows very well that he's being patronized. Rin's a little proud.

"So? Can you help us?" He asks the fox, those mischievous eyes turning back to him again. He feels some relief that they're no longer consumed with studying Nitori.

"Sorry. No can do." The fox tells him, straightening. "The supplier was killed last week. Murdered in his own home by a hunter. You'll need to find somewhere else."

Rin feels sick and stiff suddenly, the news surprising. He doesn't know who it was that had been killed nor who had killed them, but it's jarring to be on the opposite side of the line, sneaking around and fraternizing with demons while distressed by the prospect of a prowling hunter.

He swallows, feels something in him tremble, and then squashes it.

"Okay. Thanks." Rin tells the fox, turning to leave.

The fox grins at him as he goes, but there's a pitying note to it. It's probably for Nitori's sake.

They get a few blocks away before he lashes out and punches an old brick wall. The pain that crackles up his arm is satisfying somehow.

"Senpai!" Nitori's hands are tugging back his wrist, the vampire openly upset as he inspects the damage to his knuckles, but then he tenses at the sight of his blood and releases him as though he's been burned.

It takes Rin a moment to realize why.

"Are you really that hungry?" He asks, concerned now.

"N- no! No, it just... It surprised me!" Nitori tells him, looking up at him, earnest. "Sorry." And then sheepish. The vampire shakes his head and adds, "I'm really fine though. We don't need to find a supplier right now if there are better things we can be doing."

"What the hell were we going to the hospital for then?" Rin balks, the pain in hand a throbbing hum now. "So you lied?"

Nitori looks horrified. "No! I mean..." He falters. "I'm _a little_ hungry. I'm not used to going this long without..." He trails off. "But I can wait! I'm okay for now."

Rin just stares at him, feeling a creeping sense of exasperation. "... Are you hungry or are you not hungry?"

The vampire looks lost for a moment. "I..."

"Then you're hungry."

"I'll be alright." Nitori insists.

Rin looks at him, skeptical. "Are you sure?"

Nitori nods emphatically.

"Well... fine, then."

They head back to his house and he's annoyed to find his sister isn't there and his mother's at work, but at the same time the quiet is nice too, in its own way. He pulls out a small, secured laptop and uses a proxy to start exploring their travel options.

Intrigued, Nitori sits with him and watches him search. "Australia?"

"I was thinking of heading there, yeah."

"Oh..."

"You'd be coming with me."

Nitori blinks at him and then frowns. "I don't know any English."

"I know some." Rin admits. "We'd be fine."

"Why Australia?"

"No hunters there."

The vampire's clearly surprised now. "Really? None at all? Isn't that really dangerous, then?"

Rin wonders for who but keeps it to himself. "I don't know. More people there know about... the non-humans. I guess they handle it in their own way. Thing is, you'd be safe there."

Nitori leans forward and peers at his face and Rin shies back, suddenly perturbed at the closeness. "Why are you doing all of this for me?"

"What?"

The vampire frowns and he finds pale fingers reach up and tug at a lock of his hair. "Leaving Samezuka, leaving Japan... Why? You could just leave me alone. I could go somewhere else, where I wouldn't be a burden to you. That would be better, right? Rather than you doing all of this..."

Rin looks away and frowns and shifts and exhales a soft noise that's almost a growl. "Well, I have to keep you from doing something stupid, don't I?"

Nitori looks thoughtful at that. "Oh."

Rin glances at him and it makes his chest feel pinched and strange, a simmering, electric current under his skin that he doesn't want to analyze. "You're not a normal vampire." He says firmly. He hopes.

"What's a normal vampire like?" Nitori asks, curious now, practically leaning against him. Their thighs are pressed together and the vampire's leg is unusually cool against his own, even through the fabric of their pants.

"A monster." He answers. "Bloodthirsty, feral, and mindless."

Nitori's eyes widen. "Oh."

"So, you see, you're not normal. That's why." Rin says uncomfortably.

The vampire leans back, appeased now, quiet. "Can I ask you a question?" He says.

"You just did." He points out.

Nitori ignores him and continues on. "Why did you become a hunter?"

Rin freezes.

It feels like ice water's been poured into his blood and the flickering warmth in his chest steels like rock, burning and bitter. He wants to get up and leave the room but he feels frozen in place, one hand gripping the edge of the laptop in his lap so hard that his scraped knuckles turn white. After an agonizing moment he feels the sensation ease, but only slightly, the pain lingering.

"... My father was killed by a vampire." He tells him, tone dull and listless. It's all he can do just to get the words out. "It was his best friend. Got turned. Month later, rips my dad's throat out. My mom and I found him. She hasn't been the same since."

Nitori's so quiet it feels like the air in the room's been crystallized and after a long moment he finally works up the nerve to glance at him.

The vampire's eyes are wide and his expression pained and from the glossiness over his pupils he looks two seconds away from crying. Rin suddenly startles, but that shatters everything, and just like that Nitori pitches forward and grabs him, sobbing into his shirt.

"I'm so sorry!"

"H- hey--!" Rin yelps, but it does nothing to get him off. Nitori's practically in his lap, hugging him.

"You're such a good son!" The vampire wails.

"Come on, I'm not-- it's not--," Rin flounders, trying to tug him off. Eventually he gives up, feeling a little lost as he simply puts his hand on Nitori's back and just rubs it a bit, hoping maybe he'll calm down soon. He isn't exactly the best with this kind of thing. "I'm the one that's supposed to be upset..." He grumbles to himself, but there isn't any heat in it.

With someone sobbing into his shoulder, the memories come back a little crisper now, the vicious ache of losing his father settling in him. He feels his own eyes tear up.

"Damn it." He mutters and rubs at his face, biting back the swell of emotions.

He hasn't gotten this worked up over it in a long, long time and he's not about to break down now.

But for the first time in years he feels awfully close.

He's fairly certain it has something to do with Nitori.

Damn it all.


End file.
